Pathway to Japanese Literature
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| Original Title | 放浪の宿 |
|---|---|
| Author | 里村 欣三 |
| Genre | War & Social Literature |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a sweltering town where relentless heat smothers all vitality, a weary young man stumbles into a crumbling temple turned lodging house—a refuge for society’s castoffs. Dust-choked streets bake under a pitiless sun, lined with collapsed laborers and shuttered shops. Within the temple’s overgrown grounds, desperate souls gather: a lice-crushing watchmaker nursing delusions of wanderlust, a brash drifter with a dagger’s precision, and a fervent idealist chasing Bolshevik dreams across borders. Their fragile coexistence frays over a stolen dog butchered for survival, exposing festering tensions with the temple’s hypocritical monk. As hunger and despair tighten their grip, fleeting camaraderie gives way to violence and exploitation. Shadows of past sins and looming ruin haunt every interaction, while whispers of an offstage crime hint at inevitable downfall. Amidst flies, vodka, and crumbling walls, each drifter clings to fraying hopes—until the scorching world outside claims them all, one way or another. |
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